Career center board approves contract with teachers
The Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center has approved a new two-year contract with the Ashland Vocational Teachers Association, retroactive to August 1, 2010. The agreement, which the board approved unanimously at its regular meeting Thursday, April 21, runs through July 31, 2012 and includes no pay raises in either year and no contract changes.
“With uncertainties in how state funding for vocational education is going to work out and the issue of collective bargaining up in the air, it made no sense to obligate the district for something it might not be able to afford,” said Superintendent Mike McDaniel about the lack of change. “This gives us some room to see what is going to happen.”
Teachers voted earlier to accept the agreement.
McDaniel told the board the questions about state and federal dollars also has forced career center officials to reconsider how to provide additional classroom space for growing adult and high school programs. Instead of adding on to the building, officials are investigating the possibility of renting mobile classroom space.
“I’ve asked Dave Kleinschmidt (adult director), Melisa Carr (assistant director) and Rod Cheney (high school principal) to look into mobile classrooms for possibly one or two years until the funding stabilizes,” McDaniel said. “We know there are schools that have them that are not using them, so we are hoping to be able to find what we need at a reasonable cost.”
He told the board that officials have found one company that will lease a 32-by-24 foot unit for $3,000 per year. Total cost for the first year for the two units that would be needed would be about $20,000, which includes moving the units to the career center and providing electrical hookups.
Esther Welch, a representative of the Tri-County Educational Service Center board, asked if officials had considered renting space in the former county home next door. Part of the space has been converted for use by several county offices, including the health department.
McDaniel said the school could not use the space for high school courses because of concerns about administrative support, security and the time it would take for students to move between classes. He noted that officials are still considering the facility for adult education classes.
Career center board president Bob Hill asked how the school would pay for any permanent addition in the future. McDaniel explained that a reserve in the adult education fund that currently stands at $489,000 would probably be used.
On a separate issue, McDaniel told the board that the Career Center will be honored during an Earth Day celebration for its new solar panel array on the school roof that is supplementing the building’s electrical needs. Rural Development Ohio provided a $113,329 grant that was combined with $200,000 from the Ohio Department of Development for the installation of 442 solar panels.
The array will generate an estimated 110,689 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which represents 13 percent of the school’s usage and will save an estimated $9,409 annually in electricity costs.
“With uncertainties in how state funding for vocational education is going to work out and the issue of collective bargaining up in the air, it made no sense to obligate the district for something it might not be able to afford,” said Superintendent Mike McDaniel about the lack of change. “This gives us some room to see what is going to happen.”
Teachers voted earlier to accept the agreement.
McDaniel told the board the questions about state and federal dollars also has forced career center officials to reconsider how to provide additional classroom space for growing adult and high school programs. Instead of adding on to the building, officials are investigating the possibility of renting mobile classroom space.
“I’ve asked Dave Kleinschmidt (adult director), Melisa Carr (assistant director) and Rod Cheney (high school principal) to look into mobile classrooms for possibly one or two years until the funding stabilizes,” McDaniel said. “We know there are schools that have them that are not using them, so we are hoping to be able to find what we need at a reasonable cost.”
He told the board that officials have found one company that will lease a 32-by-24 foot unit for $3,000 per year. Total cost for the first year for the two units that would be needed would be about $20,000, which includes moving the units to the career center and providing electrical hookups.
Esther Welch, a representative of the Tri-County Educational Service Center board, asked if officials had considered renting space in the former county home next door. Part of the space has been converted for use by several county offices, including the health department.
McDaniel said the school could not use the space for high school courses because of concerns about administrative support, security and the time it would take for students to move between classes. He noted that officials are still considering the facility for adult education classes.
Career center board president Bob Hill asked how the school would pay for any permanent addition in the future. McDaniel explained that a reserve in the adult education fund that currently stands at $489,000 would probably be used.
On a separate issue, McDaniel told the board that the Career Center will be honored during an Earth Day celebration for its new solar panel array on the school roof that is supplementing the building’s electrical needs. Rural Development Ohio provided a $113,329 grant that was combined with $200,000 from the Ohio Department of Development for the installation of 442 solar panels.
The array will generate an estimated 110,689 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which represents 13 percent of the school’s usage and will save an estimated $9,409 annually in electricity costs.
Published: April 28, 2011
